Method and apparatus for bringing elongated metallic scrap into a more compact form

ABSTRACT

The object of the invention is a method and an apparatus for bringing elongated metallic scrap into a more compact form by bending the metallic scrap to be brought into a shape requiring less space substantially around a bending member ( 6   a,    6   b ) comprised by a forming member ( 3 ).

This application is a U.S. national stage of International ApplicationPCT/FI00/00832, filed Sep. 29, 2000 and published on Apr. 5, 2001 in theEnglish language, and which claims priority of Finnish application19992115, filed Sep. 30, 1999.

The object of the invention is a method and apparatus according to thepreambles of the independent claims presented below for bringingelongated metallic scrap into a more compact form.

The method and apparatus according to the invention for bringingelongated metallic scrap into a more compact form is particularly wellapplicable for collecting metal contained in demolition waste fromdemolition sites, and for bringing the metal into a form which occupiesless space. In this context bringing metal in a more compact form meansthat the handling and transport of the metal is facilitated, forinstance so that parts which are too long in the length direction of thetransport vehicle are shaped so that the space they require is reducedand so that they will fit into the transport vehicle. Thus thetransformation into a form requiring less space does not necessarilyinvolve a reduction of the absolute i.e. actual total volume of thepiece.

On demolition sites where structures typically made of different typesof concrete, particularly armed concrete or the like are demolished,such as buildings and bridges, waste is created which in addition toother constituents contains metallic pieces, which are purely metallicor which in addition to the metal contain constituents which wereattached to the metal, such as concrete remains. The produced metallicpieces can be collected and transported for instance to a metal smeltingplant or a corresponding collection point in order to be reused.However, the metallic pieces produced on demolition sites are typicallyelongated, possible bent in many directions, and generally they requirea large transportation space, so that their transport costs have becomeconsiderable and reduced the profitability of recycling metallic scrap.

Typically the above-described problem has been tried to remove bycutting the metal into shorter pieces and thus into a form requiringless transport space. The cutting has been typically made on ademolition site with the aid of metal cutters, welding blowpipes orcorrespondingly manually and centrally in one point, to which the piecesto be cut have been moved by cranes or the like, or the cutting has beenmade on the demolition site, at the metal pieces to be cut. Thereduction of the transport space required by the metal pieces, made inthe described fashion, is slow as the pieces are cut in small batches,mostly one by one. In addition the cutting of metal pieces is sometimesdangerous, because the metal pieces to be cut may be under tension, orduring cutting they can otherwise cause danger situations to a personperforming the cutting.

Another commonly known manner for bringing the metal contained indemolition waste from constructions into a transport form requiringlittle space is to move the demolition waste from the demolition site toa centralised point, where metallic scrap collected typically fromseveral demolition sites is pressed into a pile, and from where themetal pressed into a compact form is transported to further processing.

The handling of the metal contained in demolition waste by a pressingapparatus is typically made by transporting a number of metal piecesinto the pressing space, and the metal pieces are pressed by cylindersor corresponding other forming devices pushed by actuators, such aspresses, into a metal body which is easier to handle and transport tofurther processing.

The biggest problem in the pressing of metallic scrap like thatdescribed above, has been the large space required by the pressingapparatus and the difficulty in moving it. Thus it has not beeneconomically feasible to transport the pressing apparatus to demolitionsites, but the waste has been transported to the pressing in a formrequiring much space, causing unnecessary transport costs.

Thus, the object of the present invention is to provide an improvedmethod and apparatus for bringing metallic scrap into a more compactform.

In this case the object is to provide such a method and apparatus forbringing metallic scrap into a more compact form, with the aid of whichmethod and apparatus the metal originating at construction demolitionsites can be mechanically transformed on the demolition site into a formrequiring little transport space.

The object is particularly to provide a method and apparatus forbringing metallic scrap into a form requiring less space, advantageouslyby bending.

A particular object is to provide a method and apparatus for bringingmetallic scrap into a form requiring less space, particularly bybending, which enables the metal to be bent rapidly, efficiently andsafely.

A further object is to provide an apparatus for bringing metallic scrapinto a form requiring less space, the apparatus bending at least onemetallic waste piece into a substantially roll-like coil.

A further object is to provide an apparatus for bringing metallic scrapinto a form requiring less space, which apparatus in connection with thebending removes structural parts attached to the metallic scrap, such asconcrete blocks, bricks or the like.

In order to attain the above-mentioned objects the method and theapparatus according to the invention for bringing metallic scrap into amore compact form is characterised in what is presented in thecharacterising parts of the independent claims presented below.

In a method according to the invention elongated metallic scrap istypically brought into a more compact form with an apparatus whichcomprises a forming member and a driving device for operating theforming member, in which method the metallic scrap to be brought into amore compact form is bent substantially around a bending member, and thebending is made with at least two bending members located substantiallyadjacent to each other, of which bending members at least one is moved,the metallic scrap for bending being placed between the bending members.In this context metallic scrap means such metallic pieces, which areproduced in demolishing different structures, such as buildings orbridges made for instance of concrete, such as armed concrete, or fromother material, and which metallic pieces may comprise materialsattached to the metal. Such metal pieces are for instance steel,prestressing steel and other reinforcement steel used when concrete isarmed. Metallic scrap also means metal pieces of other kind which can beclassified as metallic scrap according to their current use or operatingcharacteristics. Such metallic pieces are for instance metal bands andbars used in binding packages and transport loads. Bending member meansin this context a member which due to its construction and material issuitable to be used in metal bending. The bending member has such a formthat the material to be bent can be bent around the member, for instancea shaft-like or a fork-like form. Bending metallic scrap around thebending member means in this context that after the bending the bendingmember is at least partly within the space formed by the bent metalbody. Driving device means in this context a device, with the aid ofwhich the bending member is moved. The driving device can be forinstance an motor or a cylinder or some other actuator. The drivingdevice can be located fixedly in connection with the bending member, orit can be connected to the bending member, for instance mechanically,hydraulically or pneumatically.

The metallic scrap to be bent can be placed, for instance with the aidof a member in the bending apparatus, or manually, or feeding with theaid of a separate machine. Moving the bending member means in thiscontext that the bending member is brought in such a motion that themetal to be bent is bent around one or more bending members.

In an advantageous method according to the invention the bending membersare moved by rotating a bending member, which is arranged to be moved,around a bending member, which is arranged to be stationary. In thiscase the metal to be bent is placed between the bending members and itwill bend mainly around the stationary bending member.

In an advantageous method according to the invention the bending membersare moved by rotating the bending members around the centre point leftbetween two or more bending members, which are arranged to be movable.In this case the metal to be bent is located between the bending membersand will bend around the bending members, which are located inside themotion path of the movable bending members. In this context the centrepoint left between the bending members refers to a point which isadvantageously located in the space between adjacent bending members,into which space the metal intended for bending is placed.

An advantageous method according to the invention comprises at least thefollowing steps:

the bending apparatus is guided into the vicinity of the metallic scrap;

some part of the metallic scrap is directed on a bending member with theaid of a member in the bending apparatus, advantageously in between thebending members;

the bending member is moved, which results in that the metallic scrap isbent substantially around the bending member; and

the metallic scrap bent around the bending member is removed from thebending apparatus.

In order to guide the bending apparatus, or in this case to move it,into the vicinity of the metallic scrap, the bending apparatus can befastened for instance to an excavator or another movable constructionmachine which comprises the required members and devices for controllingand operating the bending apparatus. A member in the bending apparatusfor guiding the metallic scrap onto a bending member refers in thiscontext to all such members, as for instance bucket-like, shovel-like orscissors-like gripping apparatuses or other means, such as magneticmeans, with the aid of which the metallic scrap to be bent can begripped so that the metal body can be moved to the bending members.During the move the bending member can already be in the same positionas during the actual bending, or the bending member can be moved forinstance transversally in order to facilitate the guiding of the metalpieces to be bent. After bending the metallic scrap bent around abending member can be removed from the bending apparatus, for instanceby moving one or more bending members, so that a bending member withinthe bent metallic scrap is removed from within the metallic scrap. Inthis case the bent metallic scrap can be, for instance, dropped awayfrom the bending apparatus by opening one or more of the walls of thebending apparatus, which walls keep the bent metallic scrap within thebending apparatus.

In an advantageous method according to the invention structural partsattached to the metallic scrap are removed from the metallic scrapduring bending of the metallic scrap by guiding the metallic scrap topass through a gap between a removing member and a bending member, thegap being substantially smaller than the above-mentioned structuralparts to be removed. In this connection structural parts to be removedrefer to bodies or accumulations of matter, which are attached to themetallic scrap to be bent, and which may originate for instance from thedemolished structures or other demolition waste. The removing memberused to remove the structural parts to be removed can be for instance asmooth, grooved or perforated plate-like piece, or a net-like, bar-likemember or the like, which may be arranged to be movable so that thedistance between the removing member and the bending member can bechanged when bending metallic scrap of different thicknesses.

An apparatus for bringing metallic scrap into a more compact formcomprises typically a frame, a forming apparatus connected to the frame,and a driving device for operating the forming apparatus. The formingapparatus comprises at least two bending members, which are arrangedsubstantially next to each other, and between which bending members themetallic scrap to be bent can be placed in order to bend the metallicscrap around substantially at least one bending member. At least one ofsaid bending members is arranged to be movable. In this context framerefers to the supporting structure of the apparatus to which the otherparts of the apparatus can be fastened or connected. The supportingstructure can comprise of one or more parts connected to each other in afixed or removable manner. Regarding the other parts of the apparatusthe support structure can be located within the other parts, outsidethem or both within and outside the other parts. The forming apparatuscan be connected to the frame in a fixed or removable manner forinstance by welds, by bolts, by screws, by rivets or in anycorresponding fashion. In addition to the bending member incorporated inthe forming apparatus, it can comprise needed means, such as bearings,and other means in order to facilitate the moving of the bending memberand connecting it to the frame of the bending apparatus. Bending memberrefers in this context to a means which due to its construction andmaterial is suitable to be used in metal bending. The bending member hassuch a form that the material to be bent can be bent around the member,for instance a shaft-like or a fork-like form. Bending of metallic scraparound the bending member refers in this context to the fact that afterthe bending the bending member is partly within the space formed by themetal body. The forming apparatus can also comprise a plurality ofbending members which regarding each other are located so, that themetallic scrap to be bent can be bent with the bending apparatusaccording to the invention around one ore more bending members. Thebending apparatus according to the invention can simultaneously bend oneor more bodies of metallic scrap.

In an advantageous apparatus according to the invention the bendingmember, which is arranged to be movable, is arranged to be rotatedaround a bending member, which is arranged to be substantiallystationary, in order to bend metallic scrap located between the movableand the stationary bending members. When metallic scrap is bent in suchan apparatus the metallic scrap will be mainly wound around thestationary bending member. In an apparatus of this kind the stationarybending member acts as a bending surface, against which the metal beingbent is bent with a bending member arranged to be movable.

In an advantageous apparatus according to the invention the bendingmembers are arranged to rotate around the gap between the bendingmembers in order to bend the metallic scrap located between them. Inthis connection the gap between the bending members refers to the regionleft between bending members which are positioned substantially inparallel, the bending point of the metallic scrap to be bent beinglocated in this region.

The driving device in an advantageous apparatus according to theinvention comprises a motor, advantageously a hydraulic motor. Thedriving device can be fastened in a fixed or removable manner either tothe frame of the device or to the forming apparatus, or the drivingdevice can be connected to the forming apparatus in some commonly knownfashion in order to operate the forming apparatus. In this connectionmotor refers either to an electric motor, an internal combustion motor,a pneumatic or a hydraulic motor. In addition to a motor the drivingdevice can comprise gears and other power transmission means required tooperate the forming device.

In an advantageous apparatus according to the invention the bendingmember is arranged to be movable in order to remove metallic scrap bentaround the bending member from the apparatus. In this context themobility of a bending member for removing the bent metallic scrap refersto such arrangements which make it possible to move the bending memberout of the space formed by the metallic scrap bent around the bendingmember. Such arrangements can comprise different cylinder or hingesolutions. A particularly advantageous apparatus according to theinvention contains an actuator, advantageously a hydraulic cylinder, inorder to move the bending member which is arranged to be movable.

An advantageous apparatus according to the invention has a means forguiding the metallic scrap onto a bending member, preferably between thebending members. Means in the apparatus for guiding the metallic scraponto a bending member refers in this context to all such means, as forinstance bucket-like, shovel-like or scissors-like gripping devices orother means, such as magnetic means, with the aid of which the metallicscrap to be bent can be gripped, so that the metal body can be moved onto the bending members.

An advantageous apparatus according to the invention has a removingmember for removing structural parts attached to the metallic scrap,preferably so that the removing member is arranged to press the metallicscrap against a bending member. The removing member, used for removingthe structural parts to be removed, can be for instance a smooth,grooved or perforated plate-like piece, or a net-like, bar-like memberor the like, which may be arranged to be movable so that the distancebetween the removing member and the bending member can be changed whenbending metallic scrap of different thicknesses.

The main advantage of the present invention is that with the method andapparatus according to the invention it is possible to bring metallicscrap rapidly, economically and safely into a form requiring less spacefor transport.

A further advantage of the invention is a reduced need for transport, asthe metallic scrap can be transported directly from the demolition sitefor recycling.

In addition, an advantage of an embodiment of the invention is thatduring the bending of the metal, it will at the same time becomedetached from any matter parts, such as concrete blocks, which may havebeen attached to it.

The invention is described below with reference to the enclosed drawing,in which

FIG. 1 shows schematically and exemplary a vertical view of an apparatusaccording to the invention, and

FIG. 2 shows schematically and exemplary a vertical view of an apparatusaccording to the invention as the second bending member is turned to oneside.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an apparatus 1 for bringing elongated metallic scrapinto a more compact form. The apparatus 1 comprises a frame 2, a formingapparatus 3 fastened to the frame 2, and a driving device 4 foroperating the forming apparatus 3. The frame 2 is assembled by weldingthe metallic frame components 5 a and 5 b into an L-shaped component.The forming apparatus 3 comprises two substantially conical bendingmembers 6 a and 6 b placed substantially next to each other, the bendingmembers having supporting parts 7 a and 7 b at their gripping heads. Thebending members 6 a and 6 b can also have a straight form, a bent form,or they may comprise a number of members of equal or different formsattached to each other. The supporting parts 7 a and 7 b can havefittings for the point of the opposite bending members 6 a and 6 b, sothat the point of the bending member 6 a is partly inserted within thesupporting part 7 b, and correspondingly the point of the bending member6 b is partly inserted within the supporting part 7 a. In this way it ispossible to set both bending members 6 a and 6 b in motion with onedriving device 4. The driving device 4 is fastened to the framecomponent 5 a of the frame 2, so that it can be removed in order tofacilitate any maintenance and service work. Advantageously the drivingdevice comprises a motor, such as a hydraulic motor, and gears. Thebending member 6 a is connected to the driving device 4 through afitting, such as a bore-like cutting in the frame component 5 a. Thebending member 6 b is connected to a counterpart 8 with the aid of abearing in the housing 9. The counterpart 8 is connected to the frame 2with the aid of an opening cylinder 10 fastened to the frame component 5b and a swinging arm 11 pivoted on the opening cylinder 10 and aredirecting cylinder 12, so that the swinging arm 11 and the redirectingcylinder 12 are fastened to the counterpart 8. The redirecting cylinder12 is pivoted on the opening cylinder 10 and the counterpart 8 throughthe cylinder bearers 13. The opening cylinder 10 is connected to theframe component 5 a with the aid of a bearer component 14 which isfastened to the frame component 5 a. A plate-like removing member 15made of metal is connected to the frame component 5 b through removingmember arms 16 and a removing cylinder 17, which removing member arms 16and the removing cylinder 17 are connected to the frame component 5 band to the removing member allowing a swinging motion. The apparatus 1also has means for connecting the apparatus 1 to a device which can movethe apparatus 1, for instance to an excavator, as well as connectionsfor supplying the operating power to the driving device 4 and thecylinders 10, 12 and 17.

In the forming of demolition waste material, which is produced forinstance on a demolition site and contains metallic scrap, into a morecompact form in order to facilitate its removal, the apparatus 1 isguided close to the metal to be bent. The bending member 6 b is guidedfarther away from the bending member 6 a by swinging the counterpart 8with the aid of the redirecting cylinder 12 and by pushing thecounterpart 8 with the aid of the opening cylinder 10 away from theframe component 5 a. The apparatus 1 is guided close to the metal forbending so that it almost touches it, and with the aid of the cylinders10 and 12 the bending member 6 b is guided next to the bending member 6a, and so that the point of the bending member 6 b extends partly intothe fitting in the supporting part 7 a and so that the point of thebending member 6 a correspondingly extends partly into the fitting inthe supporting part 7 b, in which case the metals to be bent are broughtbetween the bending members 6 a and 6 b. With the aid of the operatingpower provided by the driving device 4 the rotation of the bendingmember 6 a is initiated, in which case also the bending member 6 b inconnection with the supporting part 7 a starts to rotate. The removingmember 15 is placed close to the bending members 6 a and 6 b with theaid of the removing cylinder 17, in which case any extra material partsin the metal to be bent, such as concrete remains, will be loosenedbefore they get between the bending members 6 a and 6 b. The rotation ofthe bending members is terminated when the metal to be bent has beenbent around the bending members 6 a and 6 b by rotating the bendingmembers 6 a and 6 b. The removing member 15 is moved farther away fromthe bending members 6 a and 6 b, and with the aid of the openingcylinder 10 the bending member 6 b is moved farther away from thebending member 6 a, and the bending member 6 b is turned with the aid ofthe redirecting cylinder 12, in which case the bent metal left aroundthe bending member 6 b will be removed from the apparatus 1, and thebending of the next metallic scrap can be started. If the metal to bebent is such that it ten to straighten out after the bending, then thebent metal is tied up before the bent metal is removed from theapparatus 1.

The intention is not to restrict the invention to the embodimentpresented above as an example, but instead the object is that it shallbe interpreted widely within the scope defined in the claims presentedbelow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for bending elongated metallic scrapinto a more compact form, comprising providing a bending machine whichcomprises a forming apparatus and a driving device for operating theforming apparatus, said forming apparatus comprising at least twoseparate bending members located substantially adjacent to each otherduring bending, wherein at least one bending member is movable andadapted to be guided to a second position that is substantiallydifferent from its position during bending of the metallic scrap topermit the removal of the bent metallic scrap, placing metallic scrapbetween the bending members, and bending said metallic scrapsubstantially around said forming apparatus so as to bring said metallicscrap into a more compact form.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein saidat least one movable bending member is also rotated about at least oneother of said bending members, which is arranged to be stationary. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of said bending members aremovable, and rotate around a center point between said at least twobending members.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprisesat least the following steps: guiding said bending machine close tometallic scrap, placing at least part of said metallic scrap on at leastone movable bending member, bending said metallic scrap substantiallyaround said forming apparatus by moving said at least one movablebending member around at least one other bending member which isarranged to be stationary, and removing bent metallic scrap from thebending machine.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein said at least part ofsaid metallic scrap is placed between said at least one movable bendingmember and said at least one other bending member.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising removing structural parts attached to saidmetallic scrap by passing said metallic scrap through a gap between aremoving member and at least one of said bending members.
 7. A bendingmachine for bringing elongated metallic scrap into a more compact form,comprising a frame, a forming apparatus connected to the frame, and adriving device for operating the forming apparatus, wherein said formingapparatus comprises at least two separate bending members arrangedsubstantially next to each other such that metallic scrap to be bent canbe placed between said bending members, wherein at least one bendingmember is movable and adapted to be guided to a second position that issubstantially different from its position during bending of the metallicscrap so as to permit removal of bent metallic scrap.
 8. The bendingmachine of claim 7, wherein said movable bending member is arranged tobe rotated around another of said bending members which is arranged tobe substantially stationary, in order to bend metallic scrap locatedbetween the movable and the stationary bending members.
 9. The bendingmachine of claim 7, wherein at least two bending members are movable,and rotate around a gap between them.
 10. The bending machine of claim7, wherein said driving device comprises a motor.
 11. The bendingmachine of claim 10, wherein said motor is a hydraulic motor.
 12. Thebending machine of claim 7, further comprising an actuator adapted tomove said movable bending member.
 13. The bending machine of claim 12,wherein said actuator comprises a hydraulic cylinder.
 14. The bendingmachine of claim 7, further comprising means for guiding metallic scraponto a bending member.
 15. The bending machine of claim 14, wherein saidmeans for guiding the metallic scrap onto a bending member is adapted toguide the metallic scrap between the bending members.
 16. The bendingmachine of claim 7, further comprising a removing member for removingstructural parts attached to metallic scrap.
 17. The bending machine ofclaim 16, wherein said removing member is adapted to press metallicscrap against one of said bending members.
 18. The bending machine ofclaim 7, wherein said movable bending member is in a substantiallydifferent axis when said movable bending member is in said secondposition than when said movable bending member is in its position duringsaid bending of said metallic scrap.